Journal article
Comorbidity between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder in a specialized mood disorders outpatient clinic.
- Perroud N Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: nader.perroud@hcuge.ch.
- Cordera P Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland.
- Zimmermann J Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland.
- Michalopoulos G Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland.
- Bancila V Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland.
- Prada P Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland.
- Dayer A Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
- Aubry JM Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
- 2014-07-23
Published in:
- Journal of affective disorders. - 2014
ADHD
Bipolar disorder
Psychiatry
Adult
Ambulatory Care Facilities
Anxiety
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
Bipolar Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Comorbidity
Cyclothymic Disorder
Depression
Female
Humans
Life Change Events
Male
Middle Aged
Self Report
Switzerland
Temperament
English
BACKGROUND
Comorbidity between ADHD and Bipolar Disorder (BD) is associated with greater severity of BD. The current study aims at investigating, in a specialized mood disorders clinic, the percentage of comorbid ADHD-BD subjects and assessing the impact of ADHD on the severity of BD.
METHODS
Out of 539 mood disorders subjects, the medical records of 138 BD subjects were scrutinized in terms of their clinical and demographic characteristics, and their scores at the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) Symptom Checklist were logged. Those positively scoring at the ASRS-v1.1 underwent clinical assessment by a senior psychiatrist specialized in ADHD. Comorbid ADHD-BD subjects were then compared with BD sufferers without ADHD.
RESULTS
Sixty-three (45.65%) of the participants were screened positive at the ASRS-v1.1. 49 were clinically assessed for the presence of ADHD. Only 27 (55%) received a diagnosis of ADHD. Comorbid ADHD-BD subjects were found to be younger at the onset of BD, showed higher numbers of depressive episodes, more anxiety and substance use disorders, more borderline personality traits and greater cyclothymic temperament. Comorbid BD-ADHD subjects reported more childhood emotional abuse.
LIMITATIONS
Some subjects were unreachable and thus not clinically assessed for ADHD.
CONCLUSIONS
More than 20% of BD subjects were suffering from ADHD. The comorbidity of the two disorders was associated with worse outcomes, possibly resulting from stressful early-life events. More than 40% of the subjects who scored positively at the ASRS-v1.1 did not suffer from ADHD, which suggests that this scale should be used with caution in BD subjects.
Comorbidity between ADHD and Bipolar Disorder (BD) is associated with greater severity of BD. The current study aims at investigating, in a specialized mood disorders clinic, the percentage of comorbid ADHD-BD subjects and assessing the impact of ADHD on the severity of BD.
METHODS
Out of 539 mood disorders subjects, the medical records of 138 BD subjects were scrutinized in terms of their clinical and demographic characteristics, and their scores at the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) Symptom Checklist were logged. Those positively scoring at the ASRS-v1.1 underwent clinical assessment by a senior psychiatrist specialized in ADHD. Comorbid ADHD-BD subjects were then compared with BD sufferers without ADHD.
RESULTS
Sixty-three (45.65%) of the participants were screened positive at the ASRS-v1.1. 49 were clinically assessed for the presence of ADHD. Only 27 (55%) received a diagnosis of ADHD. Comorbid ADHD-BD subjects were found to be younger at the onset of BD, showed higher numbers of depressive episodes, more anxiety and substance use disorders, more borderline personality traits and greater cyclothymic temperament. Comorbid BD-ADHD subjects reported more childhood emotional abuse.
LIMITATIONS
Some subjects were unreachable and thus not clinically assessed for ADHD.
CONCLUSIONS
More than 20% of BD subjects were suffering from ADHD. The comorbidity of the two disorders was associated with worse outcomes, possibly resulting from stressful early-life events. More than 40% of the subjects who scored positively at the ASRS-v1.1 did not suffer from ADHD, which suggests that this scale should be used with caution in BD subjects.
- Language
-
- English
- Open access status
- closed
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2014.06.053
- PMID 25051093
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.ch/global/documents/147872
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